Jacob elson



(No Model.)

J. ELSON. BUCKLE.

No. 415,164. Patented Nov. 12, 1889.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE;

JACOB ELSON, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA, ASSIGNOR TO JOSEPH LAUFERTY & SON, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BUCKLE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 415,164, dated November 12, 1889.

Application filed January 24, 1889. Serial No. 297,389. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JACOB ELsON, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of Philadelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Suspender-Buckles, which improvement is fully set forth in the following specification and accompanying drawings.

My invention consists in a suspenderto buckle having a short hook portion and a pivoted tongue having an upper rearwardlyprojecting lip adapted to engage the webbing, and a lower straight portion adapted to contact with the hook and close the same.

It also consists of novel construction of the frame and connected parts, as will be set forth and claimed.

Figures 1 and 2 represent front views of buckles embodying'my invention, that shown in Fig. 1 being provided with suspender ends or tabs. Fig. 3 represents a central vertical section of Fig. 1. Fig. 4 represents a central vertical section of Fig. 2.

Similar letters and numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures.

Referring to the drawings, A designates the frame of a suspender-buckle, which is formed with a cross-bar l and a back plate 2, said 0 plate and frame forming a loop through which the webbing or strap is passed. Mounted on the cross-bar 1 is a lever B, whose upper end is formed with a lip 3, which projects rearwardly from the axis of said lever and is 5 adapted to engage with the webbing or strap,

said lip being toothed or serrated, so as to take firm hold of said webbing or strap.

In Figs. 1 and 3 the lower end of the lever B is formed with a hook C,which is closed by the contiguous part of the lower portion 4 of the frame of the buckle, it being obvious that said hook may be formed on the lower end of the frame l, and closed by the contiguous portion of the lever B, as shown in Figs. 2 and 4.

In all the figures each frame is shown as made of wire of a continuous piece, having its unconnected ends, which are at one side of the frame, secured within the ear or ears of one end of the back-plate, so that the crossbar is a solid or unbroken piece, and thereby not liable to be drawn out or disintegrated when subject to strain. The said ears 5 may be formed by bending the ends of the plate, or, if desired, by securing separate pieces thereto, either by soldering or otherwise. The lever is preferably made of sheet metal, but it may be made of wire having projecting teeth adapted to fill the place of the serrated lip.

The operation is as follows: The lever is thrown out so as to uncover the hook O, and the ring 6 of the suspender ends or tabs is then hung on said hook, after which the lever is returned to its first position, it being seen that, owing to the engagement of the lip 3 with the webbing or strap, said lip, due to the draft of the Webbing or strap, is subject to an upward strain, whereby the lever is forced inwardly and acts after the manner of a snap or spring, so that it retains its normal position, covering the hook and preventing disconnection of the ring 6 therefrom. In order to disconnect said ends or tabs from the buckle, a slight twisting or turning motion is imparted to the ring 6, whereby the lever is separated from the contiguous part of the frame, thus uncovering the top of the hook, and the ring rises over the top of the hook and clears the same, whereby said ring may be readily withdrawn clear of the lever and frame. It is, however, evident that the lever .may be thrown out by hand and the ring then disconnected from the hook, the latter being uncovered as the lever and frame separate.

In Fig. 2, in which is shown the preferable form of construction, the crossbar 1, which has the lever mounted thereon, is bent downwardly, forming shoulders 7, which prevent lateral displacement of said lever, the ears of the back plate being connected with the sides of the frame by soldering, clinching, or otherwise, as has been stated. This makes the frame of inexpensive construct-ion, as it obviates an extra cross-bar at the top of the frame without reducing the strength or efficiency of the buckle, the frame, in fact, possessing greater strength.

I am aware that it is not new to construct a suspender-buckle having a pivoted tongue 10o adapted to close a hook at the lower end of a frame; but in such construction the hook is of such length as to project a considerable distance above the attached ring, and the tongue has a solid cam at its upper end to contact with the webbing; but I am not aware of the construction herein described and illustrated, wherein the hook is barely of sufficient size to hold the engaged ring, and the upper end of the tongue hasa rearwardlyprojecting lip, which gives a certain amount of elasticity to the tongue, so that in repeatedly opening the same the parts are not sprung or bent out of place.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. A suspender buckle consisting of a frame, a plate connected with the back of said frame, a short. bottom hook, and a tongue whose lower end is substantially straight and in front of the hook and adapted to contact with the same, and the upper end pivoted to the frame and provided at its rear end with a lip having a serrated edge adapted to engage the webbing, said lip being an angular extension of the upper end of the tongue, the said parts being combined substantially as described.

2. A suspender buckle consisting of a frame formed of a single piece of wire with unconnected ends and having a solid crossbar at its top,with shoulders thereon, a lever pivotally mounted on said cross-bar between said shoulders, and having a rearwardly-projecting lip adapted to engage the Suspender and having its lower end adapted to engage a hook on the lower end of the wire frame, and a back plate secured by ears to the wire frame, the unconnected ends of the wire frame being within the ear or cars at one end of the back plate, said parts being combined substantially as described.

3. Asuspender-buckle consisting of a wire frame having a solid cross-bar at the top thereof" and a hook at its bottom, a back plate secured to the sides of the frame by ears, the said solid crossbar having shoulders between which a lever is mounted, the said lever having a rearwardly-eXtending lip adapted to engage the suspender and having its lower end adapted to engage the hook, said parts being combined substantially as described.

JACOB ELSON. Witnesses:

JOHN A. WIEDERSHEIM, A. P. JENNINGS. 

